Is it appropriate to ask our florist to find a way to incorporate our family’s tallit (Jewish prayer shawls) into the chuppah they are constructing for us? What about finding a way to bring in some of our mothers’ jewelry or wedding dress pieces into the flowers? Can they do this for us?

– Robin S.

Robin,

Love this question! It’s totally appropriate to do this! Here’s a list of some of the personal items we frequently see worked into weddings/florals and how we make it happen:

Tallit – The prayer shawls mostly worn by Jewish men are often handed down from generation to generation and are frequently used as part of a couple’s chuppah (Jewish wedding canopy) during their ceremony. We most typically pin the tallis to the underside of the canopy we are providing, as they are often rectangular in shape (whereas a chuppah is usually square) and smaller that the typical chuppah structure to stand alone. Additionally, families often have more than one they want to display. We ask that our clients provide them to us at the site on the day of the wedding, so that we don’t have to be responsible for it’s safe keeping for long. Be prepared that the florist may have to use pins through the fabric.

Heirloom chuppah canopies – We are more than happy to use an heirloom or handmade canopy for the chuppah. Be sure to talk to the florist about what size the canopy you have is, so that they can provide the correct size structure. Additionally, you will typically need to make sure that there are some kind of ties on the corners of the canopy – grandma’s quilt will work great, but you will need to pin or baste some ribbons or ties onto the corner so we have some way to secure it to the structure. Usually these kind of canopies work best with a simple chuppah of wood dowels or branches, rather than a fully fabric draped one.

Photo by Freed Photography

Photo by Tara Parekh

Lockets, necklaces or rosaries – We recommend these kind of item get worked into the handle of a bouquet, or if they are small enough, wired into a boutonniere. Pendants, like lockets, can be pinned through the jump ring at the top of the pendant to the ribbon wrap of a bouquet or boutonniere. Other kinds of necklaces, where the chain is important, such as a rosary, may need to be wrapped and pinned around the handle. We prefer to receive these items at our studio a few days before the event so we have time to pin and arrange them.

Brooches – Like pendants, these can also be just secured to the ribbon wrap on a bouquet. However, if you want them placed within the flowers, that can also happen. With something that has a structure, such as pin, on the back we can usually wrap a wire into it and then insert the wire into the flowers. If there isn’t anything to attach the wire, however, we may have to use some glue to do so – if the item is a family heirloom, please be sure to talk with your florist first so that we don’t inadvertently damage it !

Photo by Aimee Custiss

Photo by Memories of Bliss Photography

Dress scraps/handkerchiefs – These are best wrapped around the handle of the bride’s bouquet as well. Handkerchiefs are easily wrapped around the handle, and can even be done so when the bouquet is delivered – a single pin is usually all that is needed to hold it in place. With dress or veil scraps, we typically prefer that they are more neatly cut or pressed into ribbon like strips, so that they can be used instead of ribbon on the handle of the bouquet. Be sure to alert your florist if you do not want any of the fabric you are providing them to be cut or damaged!

We hope that helps!

Do you have a question about flowers or wedding planning? Send us your question in the comment field or by email (to info@petalsedge.com, subject line “Ask the Florist”), and we’ll include it in a future round of Ask the Florist!

The ceremony took place at the historic Sixth and I Synagogue. Accenting the chuppah onsite was a garland of seeded eucalyptus foliage accented with wedding flowers, and two posies of stock, dahlia, and roses with peaches, pinks, and burgundies finished with soft greenery.

Photo by Nat Wongsaroj

At the reception, guests were greeted at the escort card table with an elegant gold vase topped with a classic, rounded design of antique green hydrangea, light pink stock, burgundy dahlia, roses and spray roses, Cafe au Lait dahlia, and peach Femma. Similar flowers filled a classic gold bowl for the dinner tables, each finished with floating candles in stemmed containers. The garland from the chuppah was repurposed on the sweetheart tables and the posies on the backs of the bride’s and groom’s chairs, finishing the look.

Becca and David’s wedding was an apt compliment to fall, with loose organic elements featured throughout. The bridal bouquet featured a rich mix of textures – classic garden flowers like callas, spray roses, dahlia, stock, lisianthus and delphinium were given a rustic touch with loose, frilly lady’s mantle, hypericum berries hanging amaranthus, lavender, scabiosa pods, and even lotus pods, finished with a crisscrossing cage of curly willow branches. The bridesmaids’ carried similar flowers in greens and whites. The groom’s boutonniere featured lavender lisianthus accented with scabiosa pods and lavender.

One Summer Day Photography

One Summer Day Photography

One Summer Day Photography

One Summer Day Photography

One Summer Day Photography

The chuppah was a truly dramatic centerpiece for the ceremony. Curly willow branches across the uprights and front crosspiece were accented with a mix of flowers in a loose, organic style. Queen Anne’s lace, hanging amaranthus, lady’s mantle, stock, and lotus pods created the perfect blend of rustic and wildflower with accents of orchids and lisianthus lending a touch of purple. Clutches of similar wedding flowers lined the aisle, finished with a purple satin ribbon.

One Summer Day Photography

One Summer Day Photography

One Summer Day Photography

One Summer Day Photography

One Summer Day Photography

The reception space was truly dramatic, with strings of lights spanning the space to add a delicate twinkle of light.

The Westin Georgetown was the perfect setting for Juliet and Daniel’s vision of a modern wedding in cool whites, shades of purples and bright lime greens. Juliet’s bouquet featured the best of summer – white roses, lisianthus and dahlia accented with lavender roses, purple stock, and green hypericum berries. The bridesmaids’ bouquets featured roses, lisianthus and stock in shades of purple accented with touches of white freesia and green berries. In keeping with the overall white palette of Juliet’s bouquet, Daniel wore an ivory rose. The rest of the men wore lavender roses for their boutonnieres.

Photo by Evelyn Alas

Photo by Evelyn Alas

Photo by Evelyn Alas

Photo by Evelyn Alas

The ceremony took place in the Westin’s elegant, enclosed courtyard, with the chuppah placed at the far end to create a long and stately aisle.

Photo by Evelyn Alas

The chuppah, designed from an elegant silk crepe de chine fabric, featured an open design with A-line sleeves on each pole. The two front corners were accented with lush posies of purple hydrangea, orchids, and roses, white stock, and green hypericum berries accented with lemon leaf foliage.

Photo by Evelyn Alas

Photo by Evelyn Alas

The chuppah posies were repurposed on the escort card table following the ceremony. A mix of tall and low centerpiece designs alternated across the room of plum and lavender linens. On half the tables, a dramatic display of lavender, purple and green dendrobium orchids were elevated on glass pilsner-style vases. On the remaining tables, a square glass vase wrapped in a green leaf held a lush design of hydrangea, roses, stock, and lisianthus is shades of purple and white accented with green hypericum berries.

October might be fall in some parts of the United States, but here in the DC area, it’s still summer. And nothing says summertime like bright pinks and greens! This past October we had the pleasure of working with Amanda McCabe of Engaging Affairs on Lauren and Javier’s gorgeous, bright, summery wedding. For her bouquet, Lauren wanted something classic yet fun, modern and preppy. Whites, shades of light and hot pink and bright greens – with flowers like dahlias, roses, hypericum berries, stock and freesia – made up the bridal bouquet. The bridesmaids bouquets had similar flowers, but in brighter, deeper shades of hot pink, each finished with navy-and-white striped ribbons. A hot pink rose for Javier complemented the flowers in Lauren’s bouquet.

Photography by Lisa Boggs

Photography by Lisa Boggs

Photography by Lisa Boggs

The rooftop ceremony was centered on a gorgeous chuppah covered with trailing ivy and flowers in shades of bright hot pink. Chair posies that complimented the chuppah were finished with navy-and-white striped ribbon.

My ceremony is planned for outdoors (weather gods willing!). What can I do to “mark” the spot where we are getting married?

– Grace M.

Grace,

That’s a great question! There are many options available for couples to “mark the spot”, but what you do will ultimately depend a bit on both your budget and the site itself.

The goal for an outdoor wedding is to create a focal point. (This is the goal, really, for any ceremony that doesn’t have a built-in aisle or altar the way a church or temple may have.) The focal point serves two purposes: It gives your guests something to direct their attention to prior to the start of the ceremony, and it provides a backdrop for the ceremony itself. The backdrop can be as simple as a beautiful view (such as of the Potomac River or a rolling vineyard) or a physical structure on the property, such as a gazebo, arch, garden gate or even a dramatic looking tree. Many structures can be additionally decorated with clusters of flowers, fabric or wreaths, as your site permits. (Be sure to look into any rules your site may have regarding attaching items to their structures.) Whether you use the view or an on-site structure for your focal point, you may want to consider adding a touch of color along your aisle with clusters of flowers tied to the chairs or rose petals on the grass (if allowed).

Photo by Wendy Hickock

Photo by The Observatory

If your site doesn’t have any of options or if you just want to enhance the look of the site’s natural backdrop, there are a number of options most florists can bring in for you. Arches and canopies (for example, a chuppah for a Jewish wedding or a mandap for an Indian wedding) can be temporarily erected and decorated in many different styles. Remember that each florist has their own array of props; there isn’t a one-stop, wholesale shop to buy these kinds of things. Most have to be custom constructed or collected over time. Be prepared that something you may have found on-line is not part of what the florist owns, and may either cost a good deal to replicate or may not be available.

Photo by Love Life Images

Photo by Holland Photo Arts

Photo by Hartleigh Jane

Arches and structures can be fairly expensive, as they can be time consuming and labor intensive to put up and take down. If your budget doesn’t permit a structure, creating a focal point can be as easy using two dramatic floral arrangements flanking the altar area. Large garden style urns set in the grass are lovely, as are stands or pillars holding arrangements. Be sure to consider wind and uneven ground when choosing options. Tall vases (particularly glass) can be unstable. There’s not much that can be done to a flower arrangement to combat wind, except possibly to tie it to a fence!

Photo by Kurstin Roe

Photo by Freed Photography

Photo by Be Photography

Hope that helps! Best wishes for a wonderful wedding!

Stay tuned for more on this topic! Coming next: how to decorate for your indoor ceremony and for your church wedding.

This past November we we pleased to work with a couple that came to us not only through a favorite coordinator of ours, Sara Muchnick, but also were referred by another former couple of ours. We always love to work with friends and family of our past clients!

Photo by Stephen Bobb Photography

Photo by Stephen Bobb Photography

Photo by Stephen Bobb Photography

Since Eric and David were a same sex, male couple, they obviously wanted to keep the look more masculine. When we sat down to meet, they talked about wanting to use something other than flowers for the centerpieces, and painted a picture of a tablescape that reminded them of a picnic spread, using fruits and veggies, instead of flowers. I was instantly inspired, as I remembered a family trip to the French country side, and the road-trip picnics my family would have. We would stop at roadside stands and groceries, picking up a baquette, fruit, veggies, pickles and cheese, and my parents would get a bottle of wine, and find a place to enjoy a simple lunch. What an amazing tablescape this could translate into!

In the end we decided on two designs for the centerpieces – one with individual baskets and containers of fruit, veggies, herbs, breads, olives and wine, and one that featured a long window box filled with a dramatic arrangement of fruits and veggies. It was truly a unique look, and fun for us to do something so outside the box.